Disney Smartly Pays $500 Million for Maker Studios

The wild success of "Frozen" isn't all that Disney has in its favor. Its online video push should click too.

The huge success of Frozen is a reminder of Disney's big-screen dominance. However, the entertainment giant is making strides at the other end of the spectrum as well, such as its purchase late Monday of online video producer and distributor Maker Studios.

Disney (ticker: DIS) said it had agreed to acquire Maker for $500 million in cash. Disney will also pay an additional $450 million if Maker meets predetermined performance targets....